Prospect Info: CHL, NCAA & European Prospects Thread | Part V

[Triumph]

Tons of kids in the NCAA do a post-grad year in Prepschool, an extra year in the BCHL or USHL...age is a meaningless in the NCAA, at least the way it means something in junior anyhow. Miles Wood is 1995 birth there are only 6 kids on the team born after 1995 on the team...browse Hockey East and look how many players are over 22 years old. UMass Lowell has 8 players on their team born 1992 or before and there are plenty of older men in NCAA.

The age dominance factor is nonexistent in NCAA hockey like it is in junior hockey.

Age is an enormous factor in any league below the NHL.

'There are only 6 kids born after 1995' - haha what classic massive disinginuety. Here's how BC's roster breaks down:

4 Seniors
10 Juniors
2 Sophomores
8 Freshmen

So yes, of the 10 people eligible to have been born after 1995, only 6 are.

I mean, the above quote from the Boston College hockey blog "I'm not saying Wood or White are as good as Eichel but no one was expecting either of them to come here and be the top two players in Hockey East so early in their careers" certainly tells a different tale. I can't say I've watched any of Wood's games this season but I'll take it from someone who probably has. I don't think he's as far off as you're suggesting.

I take anything from non-scouts who watch lower levels of hockey regularly with enormous grains of salt because they typically watch way more of that level of hockey than the NHL and they don't understand what the jump from one to the other is like. Eichel's performance is ridiculously dominant, he was 18 and was by far the best player in the Hockey East. Wood seems like he's jumped in and been a good 1st liner. That's nice and puts him on a possible NHL track. That's all.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

I agree with Triumph.

Wood has gone from intriguing 4th round pick that every other NHL has in their system to good collegiate producer who looks like he might have an NHL future.

If Wood is leading BC in scoring by season's end, ahead of Fitzgerald, White, Tuch and Sanford, then I will get legitimately excited.

And what Eichel did hasn't been done since Paul Kariya. There is no basis of comparison between Eichel and Wood. It's stupid to bring them up in the same sentence.

 

[JimEIV]

Wood has gone from intriguing 4th round pick that every other NHL has in their system to good collegiate producer who looks like he might have an NHL future.

Wait a damn second..

In about 60 days he went from intriguing to NHL potential??? This makes sense how? It doesn't make 1 ounce of sense. That's how.

No! You were wrong for a whole year is what happened and now you need to move the goal post. Wood did not change overnight your opinion did.

 

[Triumph]

Wait a damn second..

In about 60 days he went from intriguing to NHL potential??? This makes sense how? It doesn't make 1 ounce of sense. That's how.

No! You were wrong for a whole year is what happened and now you need to move the goal post. Wood did not change overnight your opinion did.

It makes a ton of sense. No one has any idea how to parse high school hockey stats and their relation to the NHL. Wood made the WJC team which is nice - was he a star on that team? No, he was on the 4th line. That's the one data point anyone has in their favor to say he's possibly an NHLer and it's not a very good one.

We were all waiting for his performance this year - would he come in and be a 1st line player on BC? If yes, he's a possible NHLer, if no, it's much less likely. So far he's looked like a 1st liner and that's a great sign.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Wait a damn second..

In about 60 days he went from intriguing to NHL potential??? This makes sense how? It doesn't make 1 ounce of sense. That's how.

No! You were wrong for a whole year is what happened and now you need to move the goal post. Wood did not change overnight your opinion did.

Stop acting like you had any clue about Miles Wood. You had the same information as all of us and chose to overhype his WJC inclusion, just like you've overhyped guys like Graham Black, Blake Coleman and Ben Thomson. You're like the stock picker who ignores the 5 companies he got wrong but makes sure everyone knows about the one he got right.

I chose to take a more cautious approach, because there are plenty of great high school players who amount to squat in the NCAA. I never said he wouldn't amount to anything, just that he hasn't proven anything at a high level yet and he shouldn't be thought of as a top prospect. Which he still shouldn't be.

The fact that Wood is performing in the NCAA is a welcome development that should definitely make fans feel more confident about his NHL hopes.

 

[BomaLightDevils]

It makes a ton of sense. No one has any idea how to parse high school hockey stats and their relation to the NHL. Wood made the WJC team which is nice - was he a star on that team? No, he was on the 4th line. That's the one data point anyone has in their favor to say he's possibly an NHLer and it's not a very good one.

We were all waiting for his performance this year - would he come in and be a 1st line player on BC? If yes, he's a possible NHLer, if no, it's much less likely. So far he's looked like a 1st liner and that's a great sign.

He hasn't only been scoring on the first line he's been carrying the line from what I have read on Wood coming out of BC sites and people who follow BC close. The reason why he get so much praise is because he shows NHL skills and the abilities you need to succeed. He's skills on the puck, he's tremendous speed, edge, he's one of if not the hardest worker on the team, he's big a takes the puck to the blue paint and he a beast in front of the net knocking in loose pucks. On top he's personality is top notch and he's a true team guy.

I think he sounds like a NHL player.

 

[JimEIV]

It makes a ton of sense. No one has any idea how to parse high school hockey stats and their relation to the NHL. Wood made the WJC team which is nice - was he a star on that team? No, he was on the 4th line. That's the one data point anyone has in their favor to say he's possibly an NHLer and it's not a very good one.

We were all waiting for his performance this year - would he come in and be a 1st line player on BC? If yes, he's a possible NHLer, if no, it's much less likely. So far he's looked like a 1st liner and that's a great sign.

First , making the world junior team is more than just "nice"...it means you are your country's perceived best for a particular birth year. But when you see a player take such an unconventional route to make the team that is certainly something to look at.

Second, this tone you are putting out now is completely different than a few months ago. No one was waiting for his performance then...I distinctly remember the "most likely won't amount to anything" mantra.

I don't know, when you go from "most likely won't amount to anything" for a year to "hey there might be something there", might be just me, but I call that being wrong.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Anyone remember Sean Zimmerman?

Didn't think so. He was a 2005 Devils draft pick that was a surprise inclusion on the 2006-07 USA WJC team.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

First , making the world junior team is more than just "nice"...it means you are your country's perceived best for a particular birth year. But when you see a player take such an unconventional route to make the team that is certainly something to look at.

Second, this tone you are putting out now is completely different than a few months ago. No one was waiting for his performance then...I distinctly remember the "most likely won't amount to anything" mantra.

I don't know, when you go from "most likely won't amount to anything" for a year to "hey there" might be something there", might be just me, but I call that being wrong.

Someone who said Wood most likely wouldn't amount to anything several months ago still isn't wrong.

Just because Wood seems to be taking a positive development route doesn't mean that was the most likely course of action for a player with his development path.

 

[JimEIV]

Anyone remember Sean Zimmerman?

Didn't think so. He was a 2005 Devils draft pick that was a surprise inclusion on the 2006-07 USA WJC team.

Apples and organes.

Zimmermann had an established junior track record...Wood is the 2nd player in 30 years to be selected out of high school. Not remotely the same.

And of course a country's best for any given doesn't insure future success...but it certainly doesn't equate to "a prospect every team has"

Just say it, you undervalued Wood.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

He hasn't only been scoring on the first line he's been carrying the line from what I have read on Wood coming out of BC sites and people who follow BC close. The reason why he get so much praise is because he shows NHL skills and the abilities you need to succeed. He's skills on the puck, he's tremendous speed, edge, he's one of if not the hardest worker on the team, he's big a takes the puck to the blue paint and he a beast in front of the net knocking in loose pucks. On top he's personality is top notch and he's a true team guy.

I think he sounds like a NHL player.

That's great. Myself and Triumph are definitely excited about Miles Wood.

However, some people on this forum, probably due to our general lack of good forward prospects over the last four or five years, tend to overreact to any positive news regarding our prospects.

Realize that there are many teams with similar quality prospects to Miles Wood - freshmand or sophomore collegiate players surprising each year. Just by looking at the top scorers so far this year:

Andrew Poturalski - Sophomore Forward at UNH - 16pts in 9gp (Sabres)
Dennis Kravchenko - Sophomore Forward at UMass Amherst - 17pts in 11gp (undrafted)
Jake Walman - Sophomore Defenseman at Providence - 14pts in 9gp (Blues)
Maxim Letunov - Freshman Forward at UConn - 13pts in 11gp (Blues)

Then you have 2015 draft picks like Colin White, Brock Boeser and Jack Roslovic putting up over a PPG at 17-18.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Anytime you translate your scoring to the next level your stock goes up.

Wood put up gaudy numbers in high school, that's nice. But now he's proving he can succeed at the next level. Doesn't mean he's going to be a star, it means we took a boom/bust guy and he's now a legitimate prospect. We'll see how he does.

Same with Blandisi. I don't give a **** how many points he scores as a 20 year old in juniors. But nearly a PPG as a rookie in the AHL? That's encouraging, even though his absurd SH% is surely going to go down. We at least have something to go off of now.

Other prospects we've had like Black, Hoeffel, Wedgewood, Kujawinski, Bell, Wohlberg, Davis, Perkovich, Gedig, Rodwell, and others have failed to continue performing as they jumped up in level and have all either scrubbed out or are in the process of scrubbing out.

Include guys like Whitney, Zharkov, Sislo, Taormina, and N. Palmieri who produced at the AHL level but couldn't get it done in the NHL (perhaps Josefson will be in this group, if he isn't already). You have to prove yourself at every level you play at.

 

[JimEIV]

Someone who said Wood most likely wouldn't amount to anything several months ago still isn't wrong.

Just because Wood seems to be taking a positive development route doesn't mean that was the most likely course of action for a player with his development path.

Huh? "Likey development path"? "Likely course"?

What does this mean? Based on what?

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Apples and organes.

Zimmermann had an established junior track record...Wood is the 2nd player in 30 years to be selected out of high school. Not remotely the same.

And of course a country's best for any given doesn't insure future success...but it certainly doesn't equate to "a prospect every team has"

Just say it, you undervalued Wood.

Yikes. This has been repeated by Triumph several times, but Wood should have been in college the last two years. Him being the second high schooler selected in the last 30 years isn't all that impressive when he was over 19 years old at selection.

The top scorers on USA's WJC roster - Dylan Larkin, Sonny Milano, Jack Eichel and Anthony DeAngelo - were all YOUNGER than Wood.

Get over yourself man.

 

[NJDevs26]

Alright everyone go back to your corners...there's legit debate here so I don't want to squash it but there's no need to get personal and no scoreboard keeping track of who's right and how often...consider this a group warning.

 

[Triumph]

First , making the world junior team is more than just "nice"...it means you are your country's perceived best for a particular birth year. But when you see a player take such an unconventional route to make the team that is certainly something to look at.

Second, this tone you are putting out now is completely different than a few months ago. No one was waiting for his performance then...I distinctly remember the "most likely won't amount to anything" mantra.

I don't know, when you go from "most likely won't amount to anything" for a year to "hey there might be something there", might be just me, but I call that being wrong.

Regarding Miles Wood's inclusion on the WJC team, it is just one data point. He wasn't one of the best players on that team. There are a ton of players who've made WJC teams for Canada and the US who haven't amounted to anything. It's nice. It's in no way indicative of an NHL future.

Regarding what I said before, here's the cool thing about the Internet - we don't have to rely on your memory to remember what I said. We can just go and look at it:

"I too was excited that Miles Wood made the WJC team, and he looks to have good tools, but he's got to score in college. He's 20 years old when he plays his first college game. If he's to be on an NHL track, he should be one of the top scoring freshmen in college, or at least be one of BC's top scorers."

Or here:

"If Miles Wood comes in and scores 5 goals while playing a full season, he's probably not any good. Probably being the operative word - the door doesn't close on you until you go full Rodwell. Regardless, for me to think of his NHL chances favorably, he has to be one of the top players on BC. Then he has to do it again. Then he has to either do really well at BC or come to the AHL and do well. It's the hardest league in the world to play in and there's a thousand guys competing for the 30-60 or so spots that open up in it every year. Odds are he won't make it - just the nature of sports - but I'm rooting for him."

This is not in any way different from how I am speaking now.

He hasn't only been scoring on the first line he's been carrying the line from what I have read on Wood coming out of BC sites and people who follow BC close. The reason why he get so much praise is because he shows NHL skills and the abilities you need to succeed. He's skills on the puck, he's tremendous speed, edge, he's one of if not the hardest worker on the team, he's big a takes the puck to the blue paint and he a beast in front of the net knocking in loose pucks. On top he's personality is top notch and he's a true team guy.

I think he sounds like a NHL player.

Again there are a lot of players who have looked this way in college/junior. Things are looking much better for him now. It's a very hard road. Most 20 year olds who are on the fast track to the NHLers are juniors in college already.

Someone who said Wood most likely wouldn't amount to anything several months ago still isn't wrong.

Just because Wood seems to be taking a positive development route doesn't mean that was the most likely course of action for a player with his development path.

This point needs to be made continually. Prospects are bad bets in general, mostly. The key is getting a lot of them.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Of the 20 skaters who played for USA's WJC team last season, only seven were older than Miles Wood.

And all of the top nine scorers on the team were younger.

Again, it was a nice feather in Wood's cap to make the WJC team, but damn talk about overblowing the significance of it. Wood was playing the smallest amount of minutes when he was one of the oldest players on the team.

 

[JimEIV]

Yikes. This has been repeated by Triumph several times, but Wood should have been in college the last two years. Him being the second high schooler selected in the last 30 years isn't all that impressive when he was over 19 years old at selection.

The top scorers on USA's WJC roster - Dylan Larkin, Sonny Milano, Jack Eichel and Anthony DeAngelo - were all YOUNGER than Wood.

Get over yourself man.

So was Austin Mathews...it was one of the youngest teams Team USA ever put out with 5 undrafted players...That is very unusual...how does that detract from Wood'selection? I don't understand the point?

By the way calling D'Angelo younger is pretty damn hair splitting when they are about 30 days a part from each other in birth.

 

[BomaLightDevils]

That's great. Myself and Triumph are definitely excited about Miles Wood.

However, some people on this forum, probably due to our general lack of good forward prospects over the last four or five years, tend to overreact to any positive news regarding our prospects.

Realize that there are many teams with similar quality prospects to Miles Wood - freshmand or sophomore collegiate players surprising each year. Just by looking at the top scorers so far this year:

Andrew Poturalski - Sophomore Forward at UNH - 16pts in 9gp (Sabres)
Dennis Kravchenko - Sophomore Forward at UMass Amherst - 17pts in 11gp (undrafted)
Jake Walman - Sophomore Defenseman at Providence - 14pts in 9gp (Blues)
Maxim Letunov - Freshman Forward at UConn - 13pts in 11gp (Blues)

Then you have 2015 draft picks like Colin White, Brock Boeser and Jack Roslovic putting up over a PPG at 17-18.

I think it's okay to be critical or skeptical but you also need to look at different aspect in potential.

People say Wood is on a stacked team! The didn't expect to have such a good team this year one of the reasons why they have is Miles Wood. He plays first line, PP1 and the PK. Remember the stacked team lost J. Bracco.

He was like another one said the second kid to take a spot on the WJC.

He gets so much praise from everything coming out of BC and coach York.

Last he was the best prospect in NewJerseys rookie camp, and won for being best on and off the ice.

Look at it now he's definitely doing he's work to be a NHL player. That's why I think we got a keeper. It's not just one thing it's everything he touches he gets praise.

The only thing is that BC has started with some "easy" games and the competition will get a lot better. But knowing what I know now of BC and Wood he will up he's game and contribute. Every time he's been given a challenge he's succeeded. That's speaks volume of he's personality.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

I think it's okay to be critical or skeptical but you also need to look at different aspect in potential.

People say Wood is on a stacked team! The didn't expect to have such a good team this year one of the reasons why they have is Miles Wood. He plays first line, PP1 and the PK. Remember the stacked team lost J. Bracco.

He was like another one said the second kid to take a spot on the WJC.

He gets so much praise from everything coming out of BC and coach York.

Last he was the best prospect in NewJerseys rookie camp, and won for being best on and off the ice.

Look at it now he's definitely doing he's work to be a NHL player. That's why I think we got a keeper. It's not just one thing it's everything he touches he gets praise.

The only thing is that BC has started with some "easy" games and the competition will get a lot better. But knowing what I know now of BC and Wood he will up he's game and contribute. Every time he's been given a challenge he's succeeded. That's speaks volume of he's personality.

I think this is a very fair assessment. I don't disagree with any of it.

It's just important to maintain a bit of perspective. There are a lot of young players making headway in the NCAA this year. Wood certainly has a lot of positive momentum going for him, between the WJC selection, performance in Devils prospect camp and start to the season with BC. But I'm sure a Blues fan could fashion a somewhat similar narrative about Letunov or Walman.

I would like to see Wood continue his play. He's 20, so yes, he does need to stand out. But if at season's end he's outplaying guys like Sanford and Tuch, I will be very excited.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Of the 20 skaters who played for USA's WJC team last season, only seven were older than Miles Wood.

And all of the top nine scorers on the team were younger.

Again, it was a nice feather in Wood's cap to make the WJC team, but damn talk about overblowing the significance of it. Wood was playing the smallest amount of minutes when he was one of the oldest players on the team.

This also goes the other way. Guys like Milano may have been putting up more points than Wood, but they were playing with Eichel and getting big minutes. Wood was only given a small role with less talented players (and he looked good). I'm not super bullish on Wood, but I think you guys are going too far the other way.

Wood is blowing Kevin Hayes numbers out of the water and scoring at a higher clip than Kreider at the same age, for comparisons sake. That's pretty exciting.

 

[MichaelJ]

Wood's age and physical maturity can't be ignored but I'd take them with a grain of salt when it comes to evaluating his performance and accolades. He's had to deal with a significant jump in the level of competition he's playing against and that's the biggest part of the story. His contemporaries had/have been playing against other top talents in junior leagues while he just played prep HS hockey. He's handled the transition with flying colors.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

Looks like J.Q., is back for Brandon and had a point to reach 20 pts, + 10.

If he doesn't make the big team, I believe he gets signed and plays in Albany, if allowed. Not sure how many years a player needs to stay in Junior, before being allowed to play in the AHL.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

This also goes the other way. Guys like Milano may have been putting up more points than Wood, but they were playing with Eichel and getting big minutes. Wood was only given a small role with less talented players (and he looked good). I'm not super bullish on Wood, but I think you guys are going too far the other way.

Wood is blowing Kevin Hayes numbers out of the water and scoring at a higher clip than Kreider at the same age, for comparisons sake. That's pretty exciting.

I agree that it's exciting.

All I'm saying is that Wood's inclusion on the WJC roster last year, while nice, was not necessarily a huge deal. Throwing out "2nd high school player in 30 years" to be selected is disingenuous when he was one of the older players on the team.

 

[Brodeur]

If he doesn't make the big team, I believe he gets signed and plays in Albany, if allowed. Not sure how many years a player needs to stay in Junior, before being allowed to play in the AHL.

The basic criteria is birth year. To be eligible for the AHL for 2016-17, a player drafted from the CHL must have been born in 1996 (JQ is a '96). Some guys with late birthdays can enter the AHL a year before some other guys in the same draft class. Ie, Hunter Shinkaruk (October 1994) was eligible to play in the AHL in 2014-15 while Darnell Nurse (February 1995) had to wait until this season. But both were part of the 2013 NHL draft class.

JQ can also join Albany this season after Brandon's season is over.